One of tigress Avni's two cubs captured in Anji forest in Maharashtra, to be kept in enclosure in MP's Pench; no word on second cub

Nagpur: One of the two cubs of Yavatmal tigress T1 alias Avni, who was shot dead on 3 November, was captured on Saturday, a senior Maharashtra forest officer said. A joint team of officials from the Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh forest departments managed to tranquilise and capture the female cub in Anji forest in Yavatmal district in east Maharashtra in the afternoon.

A team of over 100 forest officials have been tracking the cub since its mother, tigress Avni, was killed. Maharashtra Forest Department.

"The one-year-old female cub was tranquilised and caught at compartment no 665 in the Anji forest in Ralegaon at around 4 pm," said Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Wildlife East, Nagpur, Sunil Limye.

A team of around 100 people, including six veterinary officers from Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, have been tracking the cub since T1, who was responsible for deaths of some people in the region, was shot dead by a sharpshooter who was part of a team of Forest officials.

"The cub will now be sent to Pench national park in Madhya Pradesh and will be kept in an enclosure which is almost like an open forest. The cub is physically fit. A committee will be formed to decide about its release in wild", Limye said.

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